Game Preview: Islanders vs Panthers 

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (20-17-11) VS FLORIDA PANTHERS (30-14-4)

7:30 PM ET | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM

The New York Islanders host the Florida Panthers on Saturday night in their final game before the NHL All-Star break.

The Islanders were denied a comeback victory on Thursday night, falling 4-3 to the Montreal Canadiens at Centre Bell. Bo Horvat (1G, 1A), Mathew Barzal (1G, 1A) and Kyle Palmieri scored as the Isles rallied with three-power play goals to erase a 3-0 deficit, but the comeback effort ultimately fell short, as Sean Monahan capped off a three-point night (2G, 1A) by burying the game-winner with 2:18 left in regulation. The Islanders are taking steps in the right direction, putting a season-high shots on net for the second consecutive night and out-attempting the Habs 88-43.

"We've got to put all this all together and get two points," Captain Anders Lee said after the loss. "Should have been overtime, we just have to be better than that. We'll try and get the next one."

The Panthers needed a shootout to edge out the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Friday night. Sam Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues scored for the Panthers to carry a 2-1 lead through the 19:18 mark of the third period before Evgeni Malkin found the back of the net to force overtime. The Panthers won the shootout in three rounds to recover the win.

The Islanders defeated the Panthers 4-3 in Sunrise on Dec. 2 to get the leg up on the season series 1-0-0. After Saturday's contest, New York will face Florida on March 29 for the final meeting of the year.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES: 

- Matt Martin is expected to play against the Panthers on a line with Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle MacLean after missing Thursday's game with an illness.

- Pelech (upper-body, day to day) was hit in the head by Brendan Gallagher in the third period of Thursday's contest in Montreal. The NHL Dept. of Player Safety announced on Friday that the Canadiens winger was given a five-game suspension.

Pelech has four assists and 42 blocks through 25 games this season. Mike Reilly is expected to draw back into the lineup after missing Thursday's game as a healthy scratch.

- Hudson Fasching (lower-body, day to day) missed morning skate after he left the game in the second period of Thursday's game. The 28-year-old winger has eight points (3G, 5A) through 35 games this season.

- Oliver Wahlstrom is expected to draw into the lineup for the first time since Jan. 16, replacing Julien Gauthier. Wahlstrom has five points (2G, 3A) through 22 games this season.

ISLANDERS NOTES

- Adam Pelech left the game with eight minutes left to play in the third period after he was checked in the head by Brendan Gallagher, who assessed a match penalty. The NHL Department of Player Safety announced on Friday that Gallagher will be suspended for five games.

- Hudson Fasching left the game and did not return after taking a hard hit to the boards following a breakaway in the second period, forcing the Islanders to skate 11 forwards for the remainder of the game.

- Bo Horvat reached the 20 goal mark for the season on Thursday with his team-leading eighth power play goal. Horvat has hit the 20-goal mark seven times in his NHL career.

- With three assists on Thursday, Noah Dobson reached 51 points (6G, 45A) through 48 games of the season to match a career high set in the 2021-22 season, where he recorded 51 points through 80 games. Dobson has eight assists in his last four games.

Dobson’s 20 power play points leads the Islanders as his three assists on Thursday were on the power play. Per Islanders radio color commentator Greg Picker, Dobson’s 10:35 PP TOI on Thursday was highest of any player in NHL this season and most of any Islander since Mark Streit recorded 11:09 PP TOI on Feb. 5, 2013.

- Mathew Barzal recorded nine shots on goal in Thursday, tying a career high. The 26-year-old had a two-point performance (PPG, 1A) to reach 50 points (13G, 37A) on the season, which marks his sixth career 50+ point season.

- Kyle Palmieri set a career high with 11 shots on goal against Montreal. His power-play goal tied the game and accounted for his 12th goal and 27th point on the season.

- Semyon Varlamov made his first appearance in game action since Jan. 2, making 22 saves in the 4-3 loss.

PANTHERS NOTES:

- The Panthers will face the Islanders in the second night of a back-to-back set on Saturday night after taking down the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in a shootout. Florida is on fire in the past month with a record of 12-2-2 in their last 16 games. The Panthers sit in second place in the Atlantic Division with 64 points and a record of 30-14-4. 

- Sergei Bobrovsky made 35 saves in the 3-2 victory over the Penguins on Friday night, suggesting Anthony Stolarz will start against the Islanders on Saturday. Stolarz made 23 saves in the 4-3 loss to the Islanders on Dec. 2 and is winless through three career appearances (0-2-0) with a .833 SV% and a 4.37 GAA. 

- Sam Reinhart is on a heater for the Panthers, extending his career-long point streak to 12 games (13G, 4A) with a goal in Friday's contest. The 28-year-old forward set a franchise record by scoring in eight consecutive road games. Reinhart's 36 goals and 61 points leads the team. 

- Aleksander Barkov leads the Panthers with 36 assists in his 11th season with the team. 

- Nick Cousins (day to day, upper body) is making progress toward in recovering from a concussion on Jan. 2, traveling with the team for the back-to-back set. Though the 30-year-old forward did not slot into the lineup against the Penguins, he could make his return to the lineup against the Islanders. Cousins has five points (2G, 3A) through 37 games this season.

- Since Jan. 1, the Panthers rank fourth in scoring (3.92 GF/GP) and own the fifth best power play (31.1%).